wraggster
January 5th, 2007, 07:29
via engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/04/chip-and-pin-terminal-cant-play-doom-but-tetris-runs-just-fine/)
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2007/01/tetris-terminal.jpg
So the processor might not be up to snuff for Doom, Linux, a NES emulator, or whatever other hacker software flavor of the month there might be, but a couple of University of Cambridge security nuts pulled apart a credit card reading "Chip & PIN" terminal and managed to get Tetris up and running on its teensy screen, which sounds good by us. The hack, while being a handy way to pass the time while manning a boring cash register, is actual a proof of concept for what could potentially be much more malicious hacks: if you can fool users into swiping their cards and entering in their PIN numbers into a modded terminal, there's all sorts of opportunity for theft. But we suppose as long as these guys are just in it for the classic gaming action -- and to expose potential security flaws in UK payment systems, of course -- there's not much harm in this hack.
More Info (http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/12/24/chip-pin-terminal-playing-tetris/)
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2007/01/tetris-terminal.jpg
So the processor might not be up to snuff for Doom, Linux, a NES emulator, or whatever other hacker software flavor of the month there might be, but a couple of University of Cambridge security nuts pulled apart a credit card reading "Chip & PIN" terminal and managed to get Tetris up and running on its teensy screen, which sounds good by us. The hack, while being a handy way to pass the time while manning a boring cash register, is actual a proof of concept for what could potentially be much more malicious hacks: if you can fool users into swiping their cards and entering in their PIN numbers into a modded terminal, there's all sorts of opportunity for theft. But we suppose as long as these guys are just in it for the classic gaming action -- and to expose potential security flaws in UK payment systems, of course -- there's not much harm in this hack.
More Info (http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/12/24/chip-pin-terminal-playing-tetris/)